Ice as you've never seen it before

By Christina Zdanowicz, CNN

Updated 1:25 PM ET, Wed December 11, 2013

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Woodbridge, Virginia – When it started snowing after the ice storm December 9, landscape photographer Kristen Meister grabbed her macro gear and headed out to her Woodbridge, Virginia, backyard. "I wanted to show people that there's beauty just outside their back door. You don't have to go across the country to get this kind of stuff."

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Woodbridge, Virginia – "Scientists will pull out their microscopes and show you an intimate view of a snowflake, but nobody could see that with the naked eye," Meister said. "I wanted to capture things that you could still see with a human eye, but it was a blown-up view of what you could see," she said of her macro ice photos, taken this week.

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Winchester, Kentucky – Phil Jefferis stumbled across a spider web covered in ice droplets in his Winchester, Kentucky, backyard on Sunday after an ice storm had passed through. "I actually had to poke at the drops to see that they were frozen, which I thought were really neat."

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Reston, Virginia – With the power out for almost 24 hours in Reston, Virginia, research associate Lori Saunders couldn't work on her computer. "I dashed out into the yard for a few photos of icicles hanging from the deck table, chairs and even the dogwood tree," she said of her macro ice photo, taken December 9.

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Chantilly, Virginia – Ahmed Ansari spots the bright side of winter outside his Chantilly, Virginia, home after daw December 9. "The biting cold and wet weather that keeps most of us inside doesn't keep the local birds from enjoying an early meal at our feeder," he said. "It was lovely, and I wanted to capture the miracle through my lens as soon as the sun was up."

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Catawba, Virginia – Kristi DeCourcy experienced sleet and freezing rain for most of Sunday, and on Monday, everything was covered in ice at her home in Catawba, Virginia. The scientist ventured out in her yard to capture up-close views of icy leaves December 9.

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Catawba, Virginia – "The world looks pretty amazing when it is coated with ice," DeCourcy said.

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Front Royal, Virginia – "During the ice storm, I noticed plants and trees in my yard shimmering, crystallized from the frozen water. It was whimsical and almost magical, especially once the snow started to fall," said nature photographer Candice Trimble, who lives in Front Royal, Virginia.

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Front Royal, Virginia – Trimble used a macro lens to capture these intimate photos of ice and snow December 9. "You can see the detail that covers the ice once it freezes and in the snowflakes as they fall," she said. "The beauty this time of year is magical and absolutely gorgeous!"

Northampton, Massachusetts – Sleet, slush, rain and freezing temperatures made for difficult travel in Northampton, Massachusetts, on December 9, says Carrie L. Hale. Luckily, she didn't have to leave home, so she enjoyed the ice's "glittering, glassy beauty."

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Vancouver, Canada – Snowflakes rest on a rose after a rare snowfall in Stanley Park in Vancouver on December 9. "Residents were out to view nature's white blanket before warmer weather and rains returns," said Sherwood Patrick.

Story highlights

As an ice storm swept the Midwest and East Coast this week, cooped-up photographers took the opportunity to take a closer look at Mother Nature's gift.

From branches coated in ice to snowflakes suspended in air, their up-close views revealed beauty you can't see from afar.

Some iReporters used macro photography, sometimes called extreme close-up photography, the practice of capturing larger-than-life versions of objects. It's like seeing the intricate details of a bee, or a flower, in a photo that's greater than life-size.

Another way to achieve the macro look is to use extension tubes. Landscape photographer Kristen Meister used these tubes, along with a macro lens, to magnify the image even more.

Whether you're stuck at home due to the wintry weather or you're looking for an escape to an icy wonderland, we'd like to see your up-close images of ice and snow near you. Share your photos and please tell us how you've been affected by the weather.